Bloodline: A Sigma Force Novel, Book 8

Galilee, 1025. A cunning Templar knight uncovers a holy treasure: the Bachal Isu - the staff of Jesus Christ - a priceless icon that holds a mysterious and terrifying power that will forever change humanity if unleashed. A millennium later, Somali pirates hijack a yacht off the coast off the Horn of Africa, kidnapping a young pregnant American woman and brutally killing her husband. Painter Crowe and his SIGMA team are enlisted for the top secret rescue mission. The kidnappee is the daughter of the U.S. President.

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Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author James Rollins takes you to the edge of modern medicine, genetics, and technology, revealing the next evolutionary leap forward: Immortality - a future conceived through the monstrous ingenuity of man....

Galilee, 1025. A cunning Templar knight uncovers a holy treasure: the Bachal Isu - the staff of Jesus Christ - a priceless icon that holds a mysterious and terrifying power that will forever change humanity if unleashed.

A millennium later, Somali pirates hijack a yacht off the coast off the Horn of Africa, kidnapping a young pregnant American woman and brutally killing her husband. Painter Crowe and his SIGMA team are enlisted for the top secret rescue mission. The kidnapped woman is Amanda Gant-Bennett, the daughter of U.S. President James Gant. Crowe is more than a little suspicious that the kidnapping masks a far more nefarious plot.

In the field, Commander Gray Pierce leads his small team of operatives into the treacherous African jungle to find the missing woman. But what should be a straightforward rescue turns into a fiery ambush and a deadly act of betrayal. As Commander Pierce and his team discover, the hostage is a pawn in a shattering act of terrorism with dark and shocking repercussions. And the danger is only beginning....

I love to go back and listen to books I've already read because it never fails that there will be a little piece that I may have missed the first go around that I will catch the second time.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Saying Bloodline kept me on edge would be easy, but the edge kept moving! You think that you are on the cusp of understanding it all and then....

What about Peter Jay Fernandez’s performance did you like?

The transitions between male and female voices would seem like it would be difficult but Peter Jay Fernandez manages excellently with his change in enunciation and voice inflection that nails each character individually.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved the new perspective we received from Cane's. How interesting to hear how such a warrior can perceive others as well as himself.

Any additional comments?

Keep dishing it up, Mr. Rollins. And don't be afraid to spin off your newest characters into their own world of Sigma missions.

Giving a bad review is almost like having to swat your new little puppy for peeing on the carpet--it's so hard. I held off until now because I want the space used for good reviews that encourage readers -- unless someone else experiences the same thing I did. (I like to look at a person's review history to see whether they give fair, consistently good or bad, respectful reviews.) If I think someone with similar reading tastes to mine might benefit from a low, mostly negative review, I write. Sometimes my low reviews are for just plain old stinkers, others - just because the experience was so disappointing, in spite of decent writing. Bloodline falls into the latter category; not really a stinker, just a re-cycled disappointment. If an author is going to use a familiar plot--he owes it to his audience to add something really big and new.

The two reviews available while I'm writing this couldn't be different, and I think both are accurate for a specific audience...how's that for waivering? If you haven't read a lot of books with this similar plot, like the kind of right-out-of-the-box action familiar in this genre, can't get enough of the formulaic military vs. technology, here's your book. It sounded great... Infact, every time I read the publisher's summary I wanted to try again! But, several tries later, I had to "swat the puppy." It may be that I'm jaded, saturated with Templar Knights and religious relics, secret opperatives and mad scientists; Bloodline was just an amalgamation of so many books that have already trampled this plot into the dust. Rarely do I not care for a narrator; Fernandez did nothing to psyche me up for this promise of "shattering," "shocking," and "treacherous" action--instead he sounded already worn out by it all. Bloodline was not for me; but that doesn't mean there isn't an audience.

It's an OK listen if you need to fill the time. Some of it quite interesting but it went on for way too long.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Liked the camaraderie and the action and back story. The story really didn't need all the crab robots-overdone and silly.

What three words best describe Peter Jay Fernandez’s performance?

Easy listening voice

Was Bloodline worth the listening time?

Yes, but only once.

Any additional comments?

Please ask folks who must read medical terms to seek the proper usage. It hurts my head when they don't. C-P-A-P is not ever used as individual letters. It's C-PAP. Any one using a CPAP machine for sleep apnea or medical personnel as in this case neonatal staff, will catch it and wince. Trust me, that's a large audience.

I really enjoyed this book. Saishan (spell?) connection to the blood line was an interesting shift in the sigma series. One review I read about the book that made me aprehensive compared this book to the Dan Brown book called the Da'Vinci Code. Other than the Templers, there is no simularity to that book. As always, Mr. Rollins does a fantastic job with character development and making a common sense case for the plot lines. I can't wait for his next historical/science based fiction book.

Here we are at Sigma Force book 8 and I am still interested. It is not like James takes the same outline and uses again. Wait a minute thats what he did. Some big problem arises and a secret agency named sigma investigates. Painter Crow that boss man has to come up with a way to save Sigma Force from the politicians. In every book Painter finds a way to barely get by. The agents of Sigma face their problems head on and always spend half the book getting their butt's handed to them. Finally though good wins out and Sigma saves the day. After 8 books this outline is old, right? NO sir, I still get surprised when the perfect plan fails and Sigma must start again. I still fear the worst when all seems lost and jump for joy when the heros come through. I should just face reality James Rollins is a good author that writes a good quality book. If you have not read any of the Sigma Force novels, what are you waiting for.

Rollins is a master of the pen, but this book was just remarkable. There were multiple climactic plot lines, surprises. There was great information conveyed regarding the use of military war dogs, I really loved that aspect of this book.

One of my favorite things about this entire series is the narrator. He has the talent to bring each and every character to life and gives them their own distinct personality. James Rollins is one of very few authors who can make the story an actual character. Not sure how to explain that, but every aspect of his books play an integral role.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Sigma books always keep me hanging on. Rollins takes mundane facts and weaves them into interesting tales. From history to mysteries, every book has its own special roadmap that makes the journey worth every minute invested.

Have you listened to any of Peter Jay Fernandez’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This narrator has piqued my interest and while the only books I've heard him read are there Rollins books, I will definitely be looking for more.

Any additional comments?

My only problem with this book was Rollin's excessive explanations of medical aspects and the historical points. In previous books he gives us what we need to know, but in terms that most people can easily understand. I found myself a bit intimidated by the details and wanting to skip ahead.

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